Sourav Ganguly thanks Dhoni for his contribution to Indian cricket, says 'End of an era'

Sourav Ganguly came forward and hailed Mahendra Singh Dhoni for his outstanding contribution to Indian Cricket after the veteran stumper had announced his retirement from international cricket.  The legendary skipper shared a compilation of his journey so far to make the announcement.

'It is the end of an era': Sourav Ganguly

“It is the end of an era. What a player he has been for the country and world cricket. His leadership qualities have been something, which will be hard to match, especially in the shorter format of the game. His batting in one-day cricket in his early stages made the world stand up and notice his flair and sheer natural brilliance. Every good thing comes to an end and this has been an absolutely brilliant one. He has set the standards for the wicketkeepers to come and make a mark for the country. He will finish with no regrets on the field. An outstanding career; I wish him the best in life,” said the current Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Sourav Ganguly in a statement that was released by the BCCI on their official Twitter handle.

 

 MS Dhoni's successful cricketing career

MS Dhoni is arguably the best captain in the history of both Indian and world cricket. He is the only captain to win all the ICC events (World T20 2007, ICC Test mace in 2009, 2011 World Cup, and 2013 Champions Trophy). He has all led the Men In Blue to two Asia Cup triumphs in 2010 and 2016 (T20I format) respectively. MS Dhoni had also led the Men In Blue to a tri-series win Down Under against the then mighty Australians in the 2007/08 season. 'Thala' has been leading the Chennai Super Kings since the inception of the IPL in 2008 and has led them to three IPL as well as two CLT20 titles as well. 

What makes Dhoni a great batsman is the fact that he has amassed over 10,000 ODI runs especially when he had batted at either number six or seven during most of his career in the 50-overs format. 

The veteran stumper was last seen in action during the heartbreaking World Cup 2019 semi-final loss at the hands of New Zealand on July 10 last year where he had scored a painstaking 72-ball 50 and was involved in a 116-run partnership with star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja after India's early top-order collapse.

However, once Jadeja was caught while trying to match up with the asking rate and MS Dhoni was run out of a sharp throw from Martin Guptill it was curtains down for the Men In Blue as they lost the contest by 18 runs. Dhoni has been on a sabbatical from the game since then.

He will be leading Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2020 that will be getting underway from September 19 to November 10 in the UAE.